Wednesday, September 30, 2015

There has been recent attention to an apocalyptic belief known as the "Blood Moon" prophecy, proposed by a couple of Christian ministers. This interpretation is based on taking the Bible in a very literal way, when in reality it is speaking of internal spiritual matters that are not necessarily visible to the human eye. However what many do not know is that hidden behind the literal sense of the words of scripture, there is a hidden spiritual sense revealed in the symbolism of the words. Multiple revelations were given in the 18th century to Emanuel Swedenborg revealing this hidden symbolic sense, and using this knowledge we can interpret the Blood Moon prophecy.

The Blood Moon prophecy comes from the following passage:

And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. (Joel 2:30-31)

Apparently an astronomical interpretation was given to this, which is explained in What is a Blood Moon? on Earth & Sky. Since they got questions on this they took a look at it, and although they are not Biblical experts the first comment was that the verse seems to also describe a solar eclipse, which they find a bit confusing:

That description, by the way, sounds like a combined total solar eclipse and total lunar eclipse. It sounds like a description of a total eclipse by someone who perhaps has never seen one. Sun turned to darkness = moon directly between the Earth and sun in a total solar eclipse. Moon turned to blood = Earth directly between the sun and moon, Earth’s shadow falling on the moon in a total lunar eclipse. Solar and lunar eclipses are very ordinary and frequent happenings that have occurred many times in our lifetimes, but they don’t happen, can’t happen, ever, on the same day.

This is the first hint one should immediately have that this passage is symbolic.

The astronomical interpretation of the Blood Moon prophecy states that it represents a tetrad of four lunar eclipses, which is fairly common. So what the interpreters do is to try to isolate specific dates when the tetrad series of eclipses have fallen on the Jewish feasts of Passover and Tabernacles. So right away, I see a few problems:

1. It does not explain the solar eclipse, as pointed out by Earth & Sky.
2. There is nothing that states that the eclipse should fall on a particular Jewish festival.
3. Many of the dates on which this occurred do not have a significant event.
4. The interpretation does not take into account the geographic visibility or path of the eclipse - another topic altogether (see Nostradamus and the Prophecy of 1999 and Nostradamus and the Year 1999.)

While it is an interesting astronomical pattern, it has nothing to do with the prophecy of Joel. So let's investigate the spiritual meaning, according to the revelations received by Swedenborg in the 18th century.

THE INTERNAL SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THE PROPHECY

All scripture is focused on the Lord and the kingdom of heaven. The prophecy of Joel speaks of the internal spiritual states of the church, for the church on earth has passed through several ages or dispensations. Some prophecies were fulfilled by the end of the Jewish church in the 1st century A.D. When that church dispensation ended, the Christian church was established to replace it. The Christian church as we know it will now meet its end as well, and this is the subject matter of this prophecy. For many reading this, Christianity has "ended" already for them - they have left the church, due to the falsehoods they see in it.

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near (Joel 2:1)

A trumpet is a declaration or announcement of Divine truth. Zion is the highest heaven where love reigns, the lower heaven is the "mountain of holiness" where good is derived from truth. The "inhabitants of the land" is the church on earth. They tremble out of dismay that their church is about to come to an end and replaced by a new one, this is the "day of the LORD." Right away, one should see this has nothing to do with the land of Israel, for Israel was but a representation of the Christian church that replaced it long ago.

a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. (Joel 2:2)

A "day of darkness and gloom" means a state of falsehood, where nothing of truth remains. A "day of clouds and thick darkness" means truth has been obscured in the literal sense of scripture, and no one can understand it. Blackness upon the mountains and people means the falsehoods have covered up love and truth in the church. Such a state was never before seen in the church's history, for it is at its final end.

Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. (Joel 2:3)

The fire and flame that devours are one's own selfish loves, which destroy and devour anything of spirituality within the church. The church began as a garden of Eden in a state of love, but ends as a desolate wilderness where people are lost with no way to go. At this point, I will simply quote from Swedenborg:

"The day of Jehovah cometh. . . . A fire devoureth before it; and after it a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before it, but after it a desolate wilderness. The appearance thereof is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so do they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains. . . . They run to and fro in the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth quaked before Him; the heavens trembled; the sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars withdrew their shining (ii. 1-10). Here the subject is the desolation of the church, when falsities break in and destroy truths; these falsities are the thieves who climb up into houses and enter in at the windows. Who can help wondering why it is said that the day of Jehovah will be as the appearance of horses, and that then as horsemen they shall run, shall run to and fro in the city, shall run upon the wall, shall climb up into the houses, shall enter in at the windows, the earth shall quake, the heavens shall tremble, the sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining? He who knows nothing of the internal sense and who in his heart calls in doubt the holiness of the Word, will say that these are mere expressions without a Divine meaning hidden within them, and perhaps will call them empty sayings. But he who believes that the Word is most holy, because it is Divine, and who moreover knows that there is an internal sense which treats of the church, of heaven, and of the Lord Himself, will confess that the several expressions in the above passage have each their several import. It shall therefore be briefly unfolded what the expressions and the sayings in the passage signify.

"The day of Jehovah is the last state or last time of the church, when there is no longer any truth, but falsity in the place of truth; the fire which devours before it is the lust of evil, the flame which burns after it is the lust of falsity therefrom; the appearance of horses is the intellectual reasoning from falsity as from truth, the horsemen who run are reasoners, the chariots are doctrinals of falsity; a city is the doctrine itself, the wall upon which they run is essential falsity; the houses into which they climb is the voluntary of man, the windows by which they enter in are intellectual things; the thief is the falsity which takes away truth; the earth which will be moved before Him is the church, also the heavens which will tremble; the sun is love to the Lord, the moon is faith in Him; these are said to be darkened when they are no longer seen; the stars are the knowledges of good and truth which will no longer have light from faith and love, thus from heaven, and this is meant by withdrawing their shining. From these significations it may be evident what the words in general involve, also in what sense that day, or the last state of the church, is called a thief who will climb up into the houses and enter in at the windows, namely, that it is falsity, which will then take possession of the whole man, both his voluntary and his intellectual, and thus will take away all truth and good. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 8906.2-3)

Above one begins to see that "heaven" and "sun" and "moon" and "stars" do not refer to the literal sky above us, but aspects of the spiritual heavenly world which flows inside all of us. When there is no love and no truth in the church, it inwardly collapses, and another one takes it place. Skipping ahead, verse 21 speaks of the establishment of this new church among new people after the old one dies out:

"Fear [not], O earth, rejoice and be glad, for Jehovah hath done great things; fear not, ye beasts of My fields, for the habitations of the wilderness are made full of herbs, for the tree shall bear her fruit, the fig-tree and the vine shall yield their strength. Sons of Zion, rejoice and be glad in Jehovah (ii. 21-23). This is said of the establishment of the church by the Lord: and the "earth which will [not] fear, but rejoice and be glad" signifies the church and its delight; its establishment by the Lord is signified by "Jehovah hath done great things;" therefore "the beasts of His fields"mean those who are in the affections of good and long for instruction from the Word, "beasts" meaning those who are in the affections of good belonging to the natural man, and "fields" the doctrinals from the Word. "The habitations of the wilderness are made full of herbs" signifies that there will be the knowledges of truth and good with those with whom there were none before; "the tree shall bear her fruit" signifies the bringing forth of the good of life through these knowledges, for a "tree" signifies the man of the church, and in particular a mind imbued with knowledges, and "fruit" signifies the good of life; "the fig-tree and the vine shall yield their strength" signifies the bringing forth of the effect from natural good and spiritual good together. Because "beasts of the fields," "tree," "fig-tree," and "vine," signify such things as are with the man of the church it is said, "Sons of Zion, rejoice and be glad in Jehovah," "sons of Zion" meaning those who are of the celestial church, while "to rejoice" is predicated of the delight of good; and "to be glad" of the pleasantness of truth." (Apocalypse Explained, n. 650.39-40)

As one can see, when the internal spiritual sense is opened, one can use it to open up one's internal mind, and apply it to one's life. It's not about some event in some nation at some date - it is all about our internal state, and transforming it into a new life. This is why no one knows "the day and the hour" - for it all depends on one's internal state, and the overall general state of the church, which can only be foreseen by the Lord. The New Church, which will replace the older churches, will be much more highly spiritual as stated in verses 28-29:

I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; . . . also upon the servants and the maidservants will I pour out My spirit in those days (ii. 28, 29); where the Lord's kingdom is treated of; prophesying standing for teaching (n. 2534), sons for truths themselves (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147), daughters for goods themselves (n. 489-491), servants and maidservants for lower truths and goods, upon which the spirit is said to be poured out, when they accede and confirm. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2567.5)

Again, another passage:

I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the maidservants in those days will I pour out My spirit (ii. 28, 29) — where pouring out the spirit upon them is instructing concerning truths, and prophesying is teaching and preaching those truths, as also is dreaming dreams. Old men are the wise, young men the intelligent, servants those who have knowledge. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 4682.2-4)

Where is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and where are the dreams and visions, and where are the teachings of this New Church? You are reading it. For when in the history has someone had full waking visions of heaven and hell for 27 years? There has been nothing like it that comes even close. However, to reveal these internal spiritual truths, one has to reveal the falsehoods of the older Christian churches that have destroyed it internally. One has to clear out the thorns before planting a flower, and this is the subject of the Blood Moon prophecy:

He therefore who knows that blood means truth Divine from the Lord, may also know that by shedding blood in the Word is not signified killing or depriving a man of the life of the body, but killing or depriving him of the life of the soul, that is, destroying his spiritual life, which is from faith in and love to the Lord. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 9127.5)

When a revelation is given, it will be violently opposed by the older churches who do not want to acknowledge their own falsehoods. And this is the case with the revelations of Emanuel Swedenborg, which have been rejected, censored, and distorted by the older churches. And now for the primary verses of the Blood Moon prophecy:

Again in the Apocalypse:—I saw when He had opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, and the whole moon became blood (vi. 12).In Joel:—I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood, and fire, and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great day of Jehovah come (ii. 30, 31).Here also it is known from the contrary meaning that "blood" signifies violence offered to the Divine truth; for "sun" in the Word signifies the celestial Divine, which is the Divine good, and "moon" signifies the spiritual Divine, which is the Divine truth; it is therefore said that "the moon shall be turned into blood." (Apocalypse Explained, n. 329.22)

The columns of smoke are falsehoods derived from opposition to the new revelation - internal states are actually seen this way in the heavenly world, which is the origin of this symbolic language. The sun signifies the Divine love, for angels who are closest to the Lord in love see Him in heaven as the sun, and the moon signifies good from the truth of faith, or the spiritual Divine, which is seen by the moon. The church, at its very end, becomes inverted and opposed the very love and truth that it once upheld. This is the Blood Moon prophecy. Out of this, there is only a small remnant that escapes from condemnation by following the truth, leading to a life of love and service towards others, for there will be many in the last days that turn away from Christianity due to the falsehoods:

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. (Joel 2:31)

To call upon the name of the LORD is to acknowledge Jehovah in His human, Jesus Christ, and to live a life according to His commandments. Jerusalem is not the city of Jerusalem in Israel, but rather its the New Jerusalem which descends out of heaven, where the doctrines have been given by revelation according to the prophecies of scripture.

THE BLOOD MOON PROPHECY REFERS TO THE FINAL SPIRITUAL STATE OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

The Bible is focused on the Lord, the kingdom of heaven, and his kingdom on earth which is the church - the church is present where there is love and truth in honor of the Lord. The kingdom of heaven is not "here or there" - but rather it is within you (see Luke 17:20-21). When interpreting scripture in the spiritual sense, one can see how it deals with internal states of love and truth within us.

The internal spiritual sense of scripture deals with universal truths, and as such the meaning is not always readily apparent in the literal sense. However in this case in the literal sense it becomes apparent that this prophecy concerns the old Christian church before it is transformed into the new, when we continue to the third chapter of Joel:

“What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily.For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. (Joel 3:4-6)

In the literal sense, this speaks of Phoenicians (Tyre and Sidon) and Philistines selling Jews as slaves to the Greeks. I am not clear as to how literalists try to interpret this in conjunction with the Blood Moon prophecy, but probably they just focus on the two verses out of context. In the spiritual sense, items of wealth do not refer to material wealth, but rather the things of gold and silver refer to spiritual knowledges. In the other life, spiritual knowledge is wealth for it serves higher uses. To "buy" is to acquire knowledge, to "sell" sometimes means to share knowledge, but in this case it means to become alienated from spiritual things. Judah and Jerusalem spiritual signify the celestial and spiritual things of the church, which become alienated due to falsehoods:

"Tyre and Zidon" mean those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good; here those who have perverted these, and applied them to falsities and to the evils of falsities; this is signified by "Ye have taken My silver and My gold, and the desirable things of My goods have ye brought into your temples;" "silver" signifying truth, "gold" good, and "the desirable things of goods" signifying derived truths and goods, which are knowledges from the sense of the letter of the Word; "to bring them into their temples" signifies to turn them into profane worship; that "they sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Grecians" means that they changed all the truths of good into the falsities of evil; "removing them far from their borders" means far from truths themselves. (Apocalypse Explained, n. 242.12)

In the spiritual sense, Tyre and Sidon are those who have a wealth of spiritual knowledge but have perverted it by their own doctrines. Who are the Philistines? In the spiritual sense, the Philistines are those who separate faith from charity, and make faith alone saving. As such, in the spiritual sense the Philistines are those of the Protestants who make faith alone saving, due to their misinterpretation of the writings of Paul - I have discussed this symbolism before (see The Prophecy of September 11 and America). To alienate the things of good and truth (Judah and Jerusalem) to the Greeks, means they have perverted spiritual matters by misapplying falsehoods to the Greek New Testament. It was in the realm of the ancient Grecian empire that the church invented the doctrine of a trinity of three persons at the Nicene Council, and subsequent to that the original Christians of the Middle East were declared heretics, and were thus alienated. The Byzantine Empire that followed was largely Greek:

In the New Church, which will replace the older Christian churches, the Trinity is acknowledged to be the Divine itself, the Divine human, and the Divine proceeding in one person, Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah in human form. Those who acknowledge this are the ones who "call upon the name of the LORD (Jehovah)." For the moon to turn red, and for the sun to become darkened, means that as time progressed after the Nicene council the Christian church became alienated from what is good (the sun) by perverting the truth (the blood moon). How does this happen? Truth is perverted (the blood moon) by promoting the doctrine of justification by belief alone, and works of love and charity are regarded as nothing or an "effect" with no human effort (the darkening of the sun). For as God is love, we are the recipients of that love in loving others.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Emanuel Swedenborg was a brilliant scientist of the 18th century, and for the latter part of his life had waking visions of heaven and hell for a period of 27 years to explain the spiritual sense of scripture. However, it has come to my attention that certain people have claimed that Swedenborg was a spiritualist or "occultist," and received his information from an evil spirit. I bring this up because someone claimed that Swedenborg was an "occultist" in the comments to Was Swedenborg a Cult Leader, and is the New Church a cult? Moreover, I have seen some false information propagated on the internet concerning this question. Anyone who looks at it closely can determine it is a "straw man" argument, which has perhaps been done from ignorance:

I gave an answer to this with a question: can an evil spirit or devil claim that Jesus Christ is Divine, had saved humanity, and should be worshiped alone? No one can answer this because they will realize they have fallen into a paradox with their accusation. They do not deny that Swedenborg had psychic or clairvoyant abilities - that is documented historically. So how does one have spiritual discernment between a true vision and a spurious one? Let's start with scripture first.

Within the Christian church there are those who have exhibited gifts of the Holy Spirit. So how to distinguish these spiritual gifts from information retrieved from spiritualism, or deceiving spirits? This was a problem in the early Christian Church, and one of the epistles of the apostle Paul discusses exactly this question:

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:1-3)

This is the basic rule: one can determine the origin of any revelation that is spiritual in nature by simply asking what is the spirit's opinion of Jesus Christ. Even Swedenborg confirmed this from his waking visions:

"In the spiritual world it is not allowed any one to speak but as he thinks, otherwise he is openly heard as a hypocrite; and that therefore in hell no one can name Jesus, because Jesus signifies salvation." (Apocalypse Revealed, index V)

"In the spiritual world, where all are obliged to speak as they think, no one can even name Jesus but one who has lived in the world as a Christian; and this is from His Divine Providence, lest His Name should be profaned." (Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Providence, n. 262)

As I knew of this passage from Paul for discerning spiritual gifts, when I first heard about Swedenborg the first thing I wanted to examine was his statements on Jesus Christ. I surmised that his work True Christian Religion was a good place to start, and I must say I expected to be disappointed. As with many other writings I completely expected him to say that Jesus was just a teacher, prophet, or avatar of some sort. Instead the revelations he received confirmed the gospel of Christianity - that Jesus is Jehovah in human form, who came to save humanity from its path of self destruction. At this point I was shocked - how in the world could we not have heard of him?

Returning back to the epistle of Paul, he enumerates the different varieties of the gifts of the Holy Spirit:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. (1 Cor. 12:4-12)

Of these, prophecy and speaking in tongues (an actual foreign language, otherwise known as xenoglossy) are definitely spiritual in origin as they exhibit knowledge beyond our own senses. Emanuel Swedenborg stated that he had waking visions of heaven, interacting directly with angels and spirits under the guidance of the Lord. At times, the speech of the angels was just above his understanding. The apostle Paul had the exact same experience:

...I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. (2 Cor. 12:1-4)

In his waking visions, Swedenborg also saw that the upper heavens were divided into three levels, and offers the reason why there are three heavens. In Paul this statement is not explained and it is one of the mysteries of scripture. So just because someone has visions and claims to speak with angels and spirits does not automatically mean it is "from a demon" or "spiritualism" or "occultism." Paul states one should not suppress these gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they should all be examined and proven:

But earnestly desire the higher gifts. (1 Cor. 12:31)

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. (1 Thes. 5:19-21)

Even Jesus prophesied that the Holy Spirit would come and teach us all things:

These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:25-26)

Given this information, and Jesus's statement that the Holy Spirit would teach us all things, should the claims of Swedenborg be immediately dismissed? Let's examine what was said in the writings of Swedenborg concerning Jesus Christ and the angels he encountered.

SWEDENBORG'S STATEMENTS CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST AND ANGELS

The apostle Paul stated that no evil spirit can declare Jesus Christ is Lord. So, before any judgment is given, let's examine what Swedenborg concerning what he had to say about his angelic encounters, and their relationship with Jesus Christ. There are many passages to pick from - practically EVERYTHING is centered around Jesus Christ as Lord. So, I focused on statements concerning the Lord often in context to his references to angels. Below are a few selections from Swedenborg I picked at random. The more one reads these direct quotes, the more one will realize just how ridiculous it is to say that Swedenborg was somehow influenced by a demon or evil spirit.

THE LORD IS AT THE CENTER OF HEAVEN LIKE A BRIGHT SUN

That the Lord is actually seen in heaven as the Sun, has not only been told me by angels, but has also been given me at times to see. (Heaven and Hell, n. 118)The light in heaven is such as to surpass in a measure beyond belief even the midday light of the solar world; they have, however, no light from this world, because they are above or within the sphere of that light; but the light is from the Lord, Who is the Sun to them. ...I have so many times seen the light in which spirits and angels live, that at last I have ceased to wonder, because it has become familiar. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1521-22)It is most perfectly known in heaven, but not so well in the world of spirits, whence the light comes that is so great, namely, from the Lord; and, what is wonderful, the Lord appears in the third heaven to the celestial angels as the Sun, and to the spiritual angels as the Moon. The very origin of light is from no other source. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1529)

JESUS CHRIST IS DIVINE AND CAME TO SAVE THE HUMAN RACE

The reason why it pleased the Lord to be born a man was that He might actually put on the Human, and make it Divine, in order to save the human race. Know, therefore, that the Lord is Jehovah Himself or the Father in human form, which also the Lord Himself teaches in John: I and the Father are one (x. 30). (Heavenly Arcana, n. 9315.3)The Lord came into the world that He might save the human race, which otherwise would have perished in eternal death. And He saved the race by this, that He subdued the hells which were infesting every man that came into the world and that went out of the world, and at the same time by this, that He glorified His Human, for thereby He can hold the hells under subjection to eternity. The subjugation of the hells and the glorification of His Human at the same time were effected by temptations admitted into His Human and then by continual victories. His passion on the cross was the last temptation and the full victory. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 10828)

THERE IS CONJUNCTION WITH THE LORD THROUGH SCRIPTURE AND COMMUNION

It has been told me from heaven that the human race would have perished on this earth, so that not one man would have existed at this day, if the Lord had not come into the world and assumed the Human on this earth, and made it Divine; and also unless the Lord had given here such a Word as would serve the angelic heaven for a basis and conjunction. (The Final Judgment, n. 10.4)...it has been told me that the Holy Supper was instituted by the Lord in order that by it there might be a conjunction of all things of heaven, that is, of all things of the Lord, with the man of the church... (Heavenly Arcana, n. 9393.5)

CHILDREN WHO HAVE DIED ARE TAUGHT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE LORD ALONE

Especially are they all the time initiated into this — to know no other Father, and then to acknowledge none, but the Lord alone, and to know that they have life from Him; for that they are lives, that is, truly human and angelic lives, is from the intelligence of truth and the wisdom of good, which they have solely from the Lord. Hence it is that they know no otherwise than that they were born in heaven. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2293)

THOSE WHO THOUGHT THE LORD WAS JUST A MAN ARE TAUGHT OTHERWISE IN HEAVEN

And besides, as there are angels who when they were men conceived an idea of the Lord's Human as of the human with another man, in order that these may be in company with the angels of heaven in the other life — for there ideas inspired by affection for good conjoin — such ideas are dispersed by means of the spiritual sense of the Word, and so they are perfected. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2574.3)

ANGELS SPEAK FROM THE LORD; THE LORD IS NOT AN ORDINARY ANGEL

An angel sometimes speaks, not from himself, but from the Lord, and he then does not know but that he is the Lord; but then his externals are at rest. It is otherwise when his externals are active. The reason is, that their internal man is the Lord's possession; and so far then as there are no obstructions of their own, it is the Lord's and is the Lord. But in the Lord, a plenary conjunction or an eternal union with Jehovah was wrought, so that His very Human Essence also is Jehovah. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1745.3)There were angels who were sent to men and who spoke through the prophets; yet what they spoke was not from the angels, but through them, for their state was then such that they knew not but that they were Jehovah, that is, the Lord; but as soon as they had done speaking, they returned into their former state and spoke as from themselves. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1925)

THE HIGHER ANGELS ARE CLOSER TO THE LORD

With the interior angels there is more of the internal than with the more external angels, and therefore they are nearer to the Lord, and are more fully heirs. The internal is love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor; in proportion, therefore, to the love and the charity which they have, they are sons and heirs; for so much do they have from the Lord's life. But from the first or external heaven one cannot be taken up into the second or interior heaven before he is instructed in the good things of love and the truths of faith. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1802.2-3)

ANGELS ACKNOWLEDGE ALL LIFE IS FROM THE LORD ALONE

No one, whoever he be, whether man, or spirit, or angel, can will and think from himself, but from others; nor can these others will and think from themselves, but all again from others, and so on; and thus each one from the First of life, which is the Lord. What is unconnected does not exist. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2886)It has been shown by much experience that not only a man, but a spirit, and also an angel, thinks, speaks, and does nothing from himself, but from others; nor these others from themselves, but again from others, and so on; and thus all and each from the First of life, that is, from the Lord, however it may appear altogether as from themselves. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 4319)It has been also given me to perceive by influx the sweet enjoyment of angels, perceived by them from this, that they do not think and will from themselves, but from the Lord; hence they have tranquillity, peace, and happiness. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 6469)

ANGELS ARE WISE AND INTELLIGENT FROM THE LORD ALONE

But the truth with regard to it is this: the angels are indeed in the highest wisdom and intelligence, but they have all their wisdom and intelligence from the Divine of the Lord. From themselves, or from their proprium, they have nothing of wisdom and intelligence. As far, therefore, as they are in truths and goods from the Divine of the Lord, so far are they wise and intelligent. That they have nothing of wisdom and intelligence of themselves, the angels openly confess. They are even indignant if any one ascribes to them anything of wisdom and intelligence, for they know and perceive that it would be derogating from the Divine what is Divine, and claiming to themselves what is not theirs, and thus incurring the crime of spiritual theft. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 4295.2)

ANGELS HAVE THEIR BEAUTY FROM DIVINE INFLUX FROM THE LORD

The truth itself of faith presents beauty in the external form, but the good of the will imparts and forms it. From this it is that the angels of heaven are of ineffable beauty, being as it were loves and charities in form; and so when they appear in their beauty, they affect the inmosts. With them the good of love from the Lord shines forth through the truth of faith, and as it penetrates it affects. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 4985)

ANGELS HAVE ENJOYMENT AND DISCOURSE ON HOW JESUS MADE HIS HUMAN BODY DIVINE

These are the things which the celestial angels think of when this history is read by man, and thinking of them gives them the greatest enjoyment; for they are in the Divine sphere of the Lord, thus as it were in the Lord, and in the perception of inmost joy when thinking of the Lord, and of the salvation of the human race by the Lord's making the Human in Him Divine; and that the angels might be kept in that most heavenly joy, and at the same time in wisdom, that Divine process is fully described in the internal sense of the Word, and in it also the process of man's regeneration; since the regeneration of man is an image of the Lord's glorification (n. 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490, 4402). Some persons may perhaps wonder what the angels converse about with one another, and consequently what the men who become angels converse about after death; but let them know that it is about such subjects as are contained in the internal sense of the Word — about the glorification of the Lord, His kingdom, the church, the regeneration of man through the good of love and the truth of faith; but on these subjects their speech is by arcana which for the most part are inexpressible. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 5249.2)It is the very happiness of angels, too, that every part of the Word has reference to the Lord; for they are in the Lord. And furthermore, the glorifying of the Lord's Human is the exemplar of man's regeneration, and hence man's regeneration is also presented in the internal sense of the Word at the same time with the glorification of the Lord. Man's regeneration also, with its innumerable mysteries, enters also into the angels' wisdom, and affords them happiness according as they apply it to its uses, which are for man's reformation. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 5688.3)

ANGELS TRY TO BRING OUT THE GOOD IN MAN FROM THE LORD

Especially do the angels call forth goods and truths which are in man, and oppose them to the evils and falsities which the evil spirits excite. Thus man is in the midst and does not apperceive the evil or the good; and inasmuch as he is in the midst, he is in freedom to turn himself either to the one or to the other. By such means angels from the Lord lead and protect man, and this every moment, and every moment of a moment. For if the angels should only intermit their care a single instant, man would be plunged into evil, from which he could never afterward be led forth. These things the angels do from the love which they have from the Lord, for they perceive nothing more delightful and more happy than to remove evils from man and to lead him to heaven. That this is joy to them may be seen in Luke (xv. 7). That the Lord has such care for man, and this continually from the first germ of his life to the last, and afterward to eternity, scarce any man believes. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 5992.3)

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG AND SPIRITUALISM

When there is light, darkness will attempt to oppose it. So given the above, why is it that certain people claim that Swedenborg was a spiritualist or occultist? After Swedenborg died, in the 19th century spiritualists perverted the revelations given to Emanuel Swedenborg by claiming him as a "forerunner" and saw it as an excuse to contact spirits via seances, ignoring everything that Swedenborg said on this matter. Moreover, Swedenborg's experience was different - he was fully awake, and could rationally examine what was said with spiritual guidance from the Lord. I have seen some of them express their disappointment that he spent much of his time exploring the spiritual sense of scripture and the doctrines of Christianity, which was his primary mission.

Swedenborg had encounters with the entire spectrum of the spiritual world spanning a period of 27 years, and this was not only to reveal the internal spiritual sense of scripture but also to let people know that there is an afterlife. Yet the revelations on spiritual doctrines was not from any angel or spirit, but was from the Lord alone, while reading scripture:

That the Lord manifested Himself before me His servant, and sent me to this office, and that He afterward opened the sight of my spirit, and so has admitted me into the spiritual world, and has granted to me to see the heavens and the hells, also to converse with angels and spirits, and this now continuously for many years, I testify in truth; likewise, that from the first day of that call I have not received any thing which pertains to the doctrines of that church from any angel, but from the Lord alone while I read the Word. (True Christian Religion, n. 779)

Every one can see that the Apocalypse can by no means be explained but by the Lord alone; for each word therein contains arcana, which would never be known without special enlightenment, and thus revelation: therefore, it has pleased the Lord to open the sight of my spirit, and to teach me. Do not believe, therefore, that I have taken any thing here from myself, nor from any angel, but from the Lord alone. (Apocalypse Revealed, preface)

This happened to Swedenborg at a late age, and before his inner sight was opened he had to go through an inner personal transformation, rejecting the things of the older self. One has to prepare and subdue the lower selfish egotism first - for each person stands in this world between heaven and hell. When one's spiritual insight is opened, one communes with the side one has accepted in one's life. But most people do not want to hear about sin and repentance, they want spiritual enlightenment without going through any personal transformation.

There is a constant battle in our will and mind between good and evil, light and darkness. Whereas angels attempt to lead man towards good, the lower order spirits attempt to lead man towards selfish loves. If one should contact them directly, they have this propensity for lying and inventing completely fictitious stories:

When spirits begin to speak with man, he must beware lest he believe them in anything; for they say almost anything; things are fabricated by them, and they lie; for if they were permitted to relate what heaven is, and how things are in the heavens, they would tell so many lies, and indeed with solemn affirmation, that man would be astonished; wherefore, when spirits were speaking, I was not permitted to have faith in the things which they related. ...For they are extremely fond of fabricating: and whenever any subject of discourse is proposed, they think that they know it, and give their opinions one after another, one in one way, and another in another, altogether as if they knew; and if man then listens and believes, they press on, and deceive, and seduce in divers ways: for example, if they were permitted to tell about things to come, about things unknown in the universal heaven, about all things whatsoever that man desires, yet [they would tell] all the things falsely from themselves; wherefore let men beware lest they believe them. On this account the state of speaking with spirits on this earth is most perilous, unless one is in true faith. They induce so strong a persuasion that it is the Lord Himself who speaks and who commands, that man cannot but believe and obey. (Spiritual Diary, n. 1622)

At the time, this sounded so fantastic Swedenborg never published it. So, discernment must be applied when hearing anything received through any altered state. How to know the difference? One simply looks at their opinion of Jesus Christ. This is exactly what I did with the works of Swedenborg, using the statement from the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 12:1-3) as a rule of thumb (pun not intended with the diagram below):

WHEN ARE SPIRITUAL VISIONS AND SPIRITUAL CONTACT PERMITTED?

Inner spiritual visions and contact is given and permitted to those who have subdued their lower selfish desires, and are in love towards others from a love of God. Without first going through conversions and repentance, a life according to the commandments, without love, this is not permitted. It is an ignorant mistake to classify all spiritual psychic phenomenon as originating from deceiving spirits. This is the means by which scripture was given - to prophets and apostles who had prepared themselves beforehand. Thus Peter, James and John saw Jesus glorified with Moses and Elijah in a vision, two angels were seen at the ascension of the mount of Olives, Peter was released from prison by an angel, and so on.

The summary position of the New Church on this matter is as follows:

1. Before the fall of Adam, the human race was in complete contact with angels and spirits of the heavenly realm. This state of direct communion is described as the Garden of Eden.2. When this ancient human race turned away from heaven towards the self and outer senses, this contact was broken. Contact was given to selected prophets. As mankind degenerated into sin, the spiritual world closest to mankind began filling with deceptive and evil spirits.3. The Jews were given laws that forbade them from seeking spiritual contact so that they would not be misled by deceptive spirits into idolatry.4. When Jesus came he reordered heaven and hell to save humanity. The gift of the Holy Spirit was given to re-open the communion between heaven and mankind, after repentance.

Those who are in true love of service towards others, who have overcome the sins of their selfish ego, are at times permitted to have this spiritual communion with heaven in various modes of communication:

...no one can come into that ineffable wisdom of the angels, unless by conjunction with the Lord and according to it, for the Lord alone opens the spiritual degree and the heavenly [celestial] degree, and in those only who are wise from Him; and they are wise from the Lord who reject the devil, that is, evil, from themselves. (Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Providence, n. 34)

...The reason why heaven was closed is deeply hidden, and why it is so closed at this day that man does not even know that there are spirits, still less that there are angels with him, and supposes himself to be entirely alone when without companions in the world, and when he is thinking with himself. And yet he is continually in the company of spirits, who observe and perceive what the man is thinking, and what he intends and devises, as fully and plainly as if it were manifest before all in the world. This the man is ignorant of, heaven is so closed to him, and yet it is most true. The reason is that if heaven were not so closed to him while he is not in faith, and less in the real truth of faith, and still less in charity, it would be most perilous to him. This is also signified by the words — Jehovah God drove out the man, and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flame of a sword, that turned itself, to keep the way of the tree of lives (chap. iii. 24; see also what is said n. 301-303). (Heavenly Arcana, n. 784.2)

...it is granted to no one to speak as a spirit and angel with angels and spirits, unless he is such that he can be consociated with them as to faith and love; and he cannot be consociated unless he has faith in the Lord and love to the Lord, since a man is conjoined by faith in Him, and therefore by truths of doctrine and by love to Him, and when he is conjoined to Him he is secure against any assault of evil spirits who are from hell. With others the interiors cannot be opened at all, for they are not in the Lord.

This is the reason why there are few at this day to whom it is granted to speak and converse with angels. A manifest proof of this is, that it is scarcely believed at this day that there are spirits and angels, still less that they are with every man, and that through them man has connection with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord. And still less again is it believed that when a man dies as to his body, he lives a spirit and in a human form as before. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 9438.2-3)

To speak with spirits, however, is at this day seldom given, since it is dangerous; for then the spirits know that they are with man, which otherwise they do not know; and evil spirits are such that they hold man in deadly hatred and desire nothing more than to destroy him, both soul and body. ...most spirits do not know that there is any other world than that in which they are, and so do not know that there are men elsewhere; accordingly it is not permitted man to speak in turn with them, for if he should they would know it. ...To speak with the angels of heaven is granted only to those who are in truths from good, especially to those who are in the acknowledgment of the Lord, and of the Divine in His Human, because this is the truth in which the heavens are. (Heaven and Hell, n. 249-250)

Some of the spiritual danger Swedenborg describes is discussed earlier in The Origin and Cause of Demoniac and Poltergeist Activity. The purpose of that post was to prepare for this one, so people would learn the difference between angelic and demoniac activity. At birth, two guardian angels and two evil spirits are assigned to each person - this is the origin of our free will to choose between good and evil. Thus repentance, conversion, and removing evil from one's self is a necessary step of preparation. This can be seen in many ancient rituals, where one must repent of one's evils first. Thus the first step of Christianity, repentance, is represented by the ritual of baptism. Only after that should one enter into the ritual of communion, which represents communion between the Lord, heaven, and mankind on earth.

THE LORD, SCRIPTURE AND REASON COME FIRST

All doctrine and teaching should be drawn from scripture first, under the guidance of the Lord. Even Swedenborg followed this method. There are two stages of learning the truth - the first comes from being taught by authority, as a child, the second phase is when one is mature and rational enough to explore the teachings oneself to see if they are true or not. Scripture has priority over what any religious authority or church council says. Following a life according to scripture - turning away from evil first - one can become open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Turning away from evil involves a period of temptation and repentance - this is the process by which one is cleansed.

It should be stated that even here, all enlightenment is from the Lord alone through the Holy Spirit, but this is still conveyed to each person through angels and spirits:

Enlightenment which is attributed to the Holy Spirit is indeed in man from the Lord, but still it is brought about by means of spirits and angels. But the nature of that mediation cannot yet be described; only that angels and spirits can by no means enlighten a man from themselves, because they, in like manner as man, are enlightened by the Lord; and because they are enlightened in like manner, it follows that all enlightenment is from the Lord alone. It takes place by means of angels or spirits, because the man who is in enlightenment is then placed in the midst of such angels and spirits as receive from the Lord alone more enlightenment than others. (Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 150)

Thus one should not just read scripture as another book, but also first approach the Lord alone for enlightenment when reading it. Angels are indeed involved, but their personal presence is to all intents and purposes absent from our direct awareness, influencing our intuitive affections. This is completely opposite to spiritualism, where certain spirits speak from their own ego or assumed identity, and may try to lure people away from scripture towards their own ideas. My advice - treat it like information one hears from the media (they tend to lie a lot too - see 35 things the media reported as FACTS that were later found to be total lies).

SUMMARY CONCLUSION: IGNORANCE VS. BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

Most people are just ignorant and have not even read the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg in conjunction with scripture, and just depend on what other people tell them. I was not seeing a sufficient answer to this accusation, so I thought I would cover this in detail from a Biblical perspective. After reading this, one can no longer claim to be ignorant, and hopefully I have clarified this matter.

So, should anyone now jump to the conclusion that Swedenborg received information from an evil spirit? Can an evil spirit tell us to do what is good, and follow Jesus Christ? If not ignorant, one should question the motive behind such an accusation. It is similar to the accusation of the Jewish Pharisees that Jesus was possessed by an evil spirit, because he disagreed with their religious teachings:

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matt. 12:22-32)

By what logic did the Pharisees state that Jesus cast out demons by the prince of the demons? It is the same logic some people declare that the source of Swedenborg's waking visions was from an evil spirit: they do not question what they have been taught, and make the traditions and doctrines of men higher than the Word of God.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

In Extraterrestrial Contact, Emanuel Swedenborg and Christianity I covered several theories to explain Emanuel Swedenborg's encounters with extraterrestrials in the 18th century. Despite what skeptics may think there is one point I want to follow up on, which cannot be denied by anyone: Swedenborg was given a very accurate description of the rings of Saturn, before it was verified by science 150 years later. He stated that this description was given to him by human extraterrestrials from Saturn. I concluded this:

"...these rings can only be seen in this way above the atmosphere of Saturn. So the only way this could be seen in this way by an extraterrestrial spirit is if it was close to the rings in a spacecraft, or happened to have originated from one of the moons of Saturn. Possibly Swedenborg misidentified extraterrestrials from one of the moons of Saturn with the planet Saturn itself. One possible candidate is Saturn's moon Enceladus which harbors an underwater ocean, which was discovered in 1789 after Swedenborg's death."

So that is a very far reaching conclusion, which most would consider highly unlikely. Some have asked me what I think concerning the Interdimensional Hypothesis concerning UFOs, which proposes they are interdimensional beings. My opinion on that is that they can be from anywhere: they can be extraterrestrial, interdimensional, or even "ultra-terrestrial" - and one hypothesis does not preclude the other. One of the proponents of the Interdimensional Hypothesis is Jacques Vallee, a French computer scientist who has been studying UFOs for over 40 years. So, at the recommendation of others, I decided to pick up one of his books and randomly started with Messengers of Deception. It is an interesting read, with some good insights. One thing Jacques Vallee notes: there are too many confirmed UFO sightings that can't be explained by natural causes or human activity. His conclusion: many UFOs must originate from some place close. Very close, if not earth itself.

There is one particular case in this book which caught my attention. This is the contact case of Jacques Bordas, who was interviewed by Jacques Vallee himself. It may or may not be related to Emanuel Swedenborg's 18th century encounter with the extraterrestrials of Saturn

THE CONTACT CASE OF JACQUES BORDAS

Jacques Bordas was born on July 20, 1911 and lived in Barcelona Spain. He was born sick and was obese due to a hormonal deficiency. At the age 12, he was lying down and had the sudden urge to climb up to the terrace. There, he saw three triangular metallic craft measuring less than 9 feet. One of them opened and a being no taller him wearing a white suit and mantle approached him and said:

"We have come to see you, because we have taken you under our protection. We know how much you suffer, and we know your dream of becoming a strong man, an athlete. You will realize it, with our help; you will be strong, not only physically but mentally, too. Now that we have adopted you, we will never forsake you. In the future we will come back to you again. In the meantime, as a token of friendship, take this."

He gave him a square dark candy and was told to eat it. He did, and long story short, he went through a remarkable transformation, becoming a very strong mountain climber as he grew in age. He joined the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War, and later escaped to France and became a manager of a hotel on Vernent Mountain at the foot of the Canigou.

It was here he was resting in the patio when in 1951 he was approached by a man 6 ft. tall, blue eyes, long blonde hair, extremely white, and slightly elongated eyes. He simply asked him, could he provide him every day, at the same time, 2 bottles of milk and some bread? This he agreed to do, and they met at the same time every day in the same place.

This continued until Bordas finally asked him where did he come from. "From above" was the reply, and Bordas assumed he meant "from the mountain." Evidently this stranger was doing a survey of the mountains - he eventually showed him a strange sheet of parchment like paper in which the mountain was drawn in fine detail, with strange symbolic markings. Later the conversation turned to political subjects. The stranger said:

"Man must tear away his egotism. Man believes that he is unable to do this, but he can, although it's very hard. Man believes he is the only important being on the Earth; he ignores the fact that he is nothing more than one element in natural evolution. In spite of his unbounded pride, his so-called knowledge, there is another species evolving now that will replace him in due time. Even your children are undergoing the transformation: they will change everything, the religion...."

On the last day the stranger repaid Bordas for his kindness with something he said "his people" would appreciate as he had none of his currency - he gave him some gold he found in the mountains, as he had no money to repay him.

So the stranger disappeared, and Bordas began to develop psychic abilities where he could find lost items. Twenty years later he received a phone call in 1971 in which he explained to Bordas he would go through a further mutation - his consciousness would open up to "universal truths." There were other ongoing contacts but they are not detailed in the book.

At the time Vallee met him he was a highly successful businessman of a furniture company in Andorra, exporting to 30 different countries. Several witnesses confirmed seeing him with the stranger, and the jeweler did confirm that Bordas brought in some gold to be assessed, which indeed was gold. When the son of Bordas took pictures of people at the picnic, all pictures came out except the ones in which this stranger appeared - they came out blank. Vallee interviewed him in 1976 and found him to be low key, and as a successful businessman he never sought to make any money from his contacts. Bordas had numerous contacts with them, and they revealed to him where they were from: from the moon Titan, orbiting Saturn.

Vallee considered that this was a strong case due to his personal investigation and confirmation from other witnesses. Also I would like to note here that certain behaviour patterns appear which can be seen in multiple other independent contact cases:

1. Repeated contacts of an individual from childhood.
2. Dramatic healing of a life long illness.
3. Development of psychic abilities (even finding lost objects) following contact.
4. Inability to photograph the strangers.
5. Deliberate ambiguity when asked about their origin.
6. In most cases, contactee keeps a low profile and seeks no publicity.
7. These strangers can completely merge in our culture and appear like one of us.

As these strangers tend to be deliberately ambiguous on their origin, is the moon Titan their actual origin? Could this be what Swedenborg was referring to in his encounters with human extraterrestrials from Saturn? Jacques Bordas is not the only one - Howard Menger also stated he encountered a human extraterrestrial from Saturn, who taught him a song on a piano (see A Telepathic Dream of a Song from Saturn.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE ON THE MOON TITAN

Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system, 50% larger than the moon and 80% more massive. It it the only satellite in the solar system to have a dense atmosphere, the stratosphere composed of 95% nitrogen and 5% (or 2%) methane. Its atmospheric pressure is 1.5 times that of earth. The atmosphere of Titan actually extends much further out than earth:

One of Titan's great mysteries is the source of its methane, which makes all of this complex chemistry possible. Since sunlight breaks down methane in the atmosphere, there must be a source that replenishes what is lost. Researchers suspect methane could be belched into Titan's atmosphere by cryovolcanism, or volcanoes with water as lava, and Cassini continues to look for such activity.

Methane, of course, could be an indicator of biological activity. But scientists are cautious and look for geological explanations first. As the Sun's light breaks down methane, something else is replenishing it and scientists do not know what that is. Another interesting discovery was made in 2010. From Strange Discovery on Titan Leads to Speculation of Alien Life:

One study suggested that hydrogen was flowing down through Titan's atmosphere and disappearing at the surface. Astrobiologist Chris McKay at NASA Ames Research Center speculated this could be a tantalizing hint that hydrogen is getting consumed by life.
"It's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan, similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth," McKay said.

If standing on the surface, one would not need a pressurized suit - only a breathing mask and something to protect one from the cold. Saturn, with its rings, would fill one third of the sky as seen from Titan (see How Humans Could Live on Saturn's Moon Titan). And in Swedenborg's encounter, extraterrestrials from Saturn accurately described the rings of Saturn.

The surface of Titan has many features similar to that of earth - including dunes, mountains, rivers and lakes. It also has cryovolcanos. The lakes are composed of liquid methane-ethane due to a surface temperature of 94 K. Here is a picture of a mountain from the Huygens probe:

Scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Cassini mission have firm evidence of an ocean inside Saturn's largest moon, Titan, which might be as salty as the Earth's Dead Sea. ...The new results come from a study of gravity and topography data collected during Cassini's repeated flybys of Titan during the past 10 years. Researchers found that a relatively high density was required for Titan's subsurface ocean in order to explain the gravity data. This indicates the ocean is probably an extremely salty brine of water mixed with dissolved salts likely composed of sulfur, sodium and potassium.

So, Titan is not exactly "home sweet home" to humans who need oxygen, and any potential habitat would probably exist beneath the surface. Promising but not conclusive, but the fact is methane is the primary indicator of biological activity. Something unknown is replenishing it in the atmosphere of Titan.

THE CASSINI-HUYGENS MISSION TO SATURN

Is there any reason to doubt the data returned to us by NASA probes? Yes there is - I have previously covered testimony from witnesses who stated unequivocally that NASA repeatedly blur out sections of images to hide artificial structures from the public, and conclusive evidence of this can be seen in multiple NASA photographs. Also before men were landed on the Moon an entire replica of the Moon landscape was created in Langley Virginia. Anyone who researches the NASA data will see some unusual discrepancies, and some have jumped to the conclusion that the landing was a "hoax." The truth of the matter is indeed the astronauts landed there, but some transmissions were never made public and replaced with false data. See the following interview of Dr. Steven M. Greer, who mentions this, but then drops a very interesting piece of information concerning the data returned from the Cassini-Huygens probe:

Regarding the Cassini-Huygens probe, Dr. Steven M. Greer states he was contacted by a scientist from Lockheed Martin. This scientist stated that there is a large extraterrestrial group out by Saturn. There are astonishing images of massive extraterrestrial craft miles across. These are filtered out, and NASA scientists are only given the filtered data.

This is another indicator that knowledge of the extraterrestrial presence is in the hands of the U.S. military and private contractors (with help from intelligence agencies), not necessarily everyone at NASA, nor elected officials.

CASSINI PHOTOGRAPHS OF CYLINDRICAL UFOS NEAR SATURN

Despite this secrecy things slip through. The Cassini photographs show cylindrical UFOs in the vicinity of Saturn, and indeed they are huge. These are not frame dragging objects. Check this out:

SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF EARLIER PHOTOGRAPHS OF CYLINDRICAL UFOS BY VOYAGER 1 AND 2

Some of these cylindrical UFOs were caught earlier in the Voyager photographs (see also The Cylindrical UFOs of Saturn. For this see this presentation by Norman Bergrun on his book Ringmakers of Saturn. Norman Bergrun is a scientist with a long established career with the military and aeronautical corporations. His theory is that these cylindrical UFOs are generating the rings of Saturn with their electrical fields (there is actually no scientific consensus on how Saturn's rings are formed). Bob Dean proposed the theory that they are mining the rings of Saturn for minerals. Norman Bergrun also discusses why the cylinder is an excellent shape for producing a magnetic field. Some of these are just so huge it boggles the imagination - Norman Bergrun confirms the information of that Lockheed Martin scientist on the Cassini mission:

Here is an interview of Norman Bergrun by Project Camelot, but the presentation above is a better overview. In this interview, Norman Bergrun mentions he was approached by a NASA specialist who was surprised he had found the things they tried to cover up by altering the photos slightly.

Norman Bergrun concludes that these are electromagnetic cylindrical vehicles. One odd activity he describes in detail in Ringmakers of Saturn is that these vehicles seem to be producing large electric fields that course through some of the moons of Saturn. He theorizes that this activity helps cause the core of the moon to heat considerably producing a molten constituency. Why so? They may be implementing something only some futurists have imagined: planetary terraforming. Recently, Cassini has observed underwater oceans on multiple moons of Saturn - including Titan. Heating the interior of the moon could help produce an underground habitat as well. At this point, this quote from Arthur C. Clarke seems quite fitting:

…we cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets or can set up new laboratories in space. They are as much beyond our vision today as fire or electricity would be beyond the imagination of a fish.

SUMMARY CONCLUSION

In solving a minor mystery in Swedenborg's writing we have now come across a bigger mystery. Perhaps most people would be comfortable to just assume that Swedenborg's accurate description of the rings of Saturn as snow-like particles reflecting light as a "lucky guess" - at a time when current thinking was that these rings were solid bands (see Extraterrestrial Contact, Emanuel Swedenborg and Christianity). He stated he was given this description by extraterrestrials from Saturn, who also said they were in contact with other extraterrestrials that habitually travel between solar systems. If we take his statement at face value, then either these extraterrestrials lived on one of the moons or in a spacecraft near the rings of Saturn. Completely independent from Swedenborg, a well-accredited scientist discovers huge extraterrestrial vehicles frolicking around in the rings of Saturn doing who knows what.

What are they doing there? We can surmise that among the many billions of stars, certain races have reached an advanced state of civilization, having overcome the evils of their lower nature where wars are completely unknown in their society. Having advanced to such a state, their civilization has outlived the habitat of their own planet, and have been forced to now live among the stars (see Stephen Hawking and the Janos Affair). Saturn provides many moons that are rich in mineral resources, and Saturn has a magnetosphere that protects against solar radiation.

It has been the habit of many to dismiss the theological revelations in the waking visions of Emanuel Swedenborg offhand because of his accounts of extraterrestrials. When I first encountered Swedenborg I could see that the revelations resolve many of the mysteries of God and Christianity that many still continually debate about. But his account of extraterrestrials was an utter puzzlement - it personally took me a while to overcome the skepticism on this matter. As the New Church doctrines concern universal laws of love and truth, it would be interesting to compare them to the "universal truths" of that mystery stranger that Jacques Bordas encountered.

Considering the zoological diversity of our planet, it could be this solar system is a common traveling point for many extraterrestrial races. Perhaps this is why God chose to become incarnate on our earth as Jesus Christ, so this event would become known elsewhere as well.

As the Father knows me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 14:15-16)